Anticipating your doe giving birth to its kits is both thrilling and terrifying, regardless of whether you intentionally bred it or the breeding happened accidentally. Of course, you would want to get ready for it. Even if you have many questions, the most important one is probably: How do you tell if your rabbit is in labor?
If you’re unclear about how a rabbit gives birth or how to assist your bunny in successfully delivering it young, this article will help. You’ll also learn how to help your rabbit in case of birthing complications, including answers to:
- How Long Is A Rabbit In Labor For?
- What Happens When A Bunny Goes Into Labor?
- My Rabbit Is Making A Nest; How Long Till She Gives Birth?
- How Do You Know When Your Rabbit Is About To Give Birth?
How Do You Know When Your Rabbit Is About To Give Birth?
Rabbits go through a 31-day pregnancy. Therefore, knowing when your doe was bred is the most straightforward way to predict when the rabbit will give birth. Thus, around the 25-day mark, you should watch for signals that your rabbit is getting close to giving birth.
On the other hand, some owners don’t discover a bunny is pregnant until the rabbit has given birth. This typically happens when breeding is not planned. However, do female rabbits show signs of being close to giving birth?
When you notice any of the following symptoms, it’s time to place your rabbit in its birthing box and watch for the babies to appear.
Nesting
If a rabbit is stacking bedding or digging in the corner of its pen, it is starting to build a nest. A rabbit typically gathers hay or other items(blankets or straw) it can carry in its mouth to create a cozy birthing area.
While some rabbits wait until the birth is almost upon them, others create nests days before giving birth. Notwithstanding, for rabbits, nesting is a sign that giving birth is imminent.
Fur Pulling
To prepare for giving birth, a doe may also use its teeth to remove fur, particularly from the areas around its dewlap, tail, and hindquarters. Hormones make the hairs soft, so pulling is not painful. Also, dragging on the fur exposes the rabbit’s nipples for nursing.
The rabbit leaves its smell in the nest, thus reassuring the young kits, and creating a warm and cozy bed of hay, straw, and fur. Pulling fur is a telltale sign that your pet rabbit is about to give birth. While some pregnant rabbits start hair pulling days before giving birth, others will start hours before giving birth.
Restlessness
The next indicator will be restlessness. The female rabbit becomes more animated as it starts to jump around more than usual and may even try to get out of its cage as a clue that it is about to give birth.
Bloody nest
Your rabbit will begin slight bleeding just before giving birth. It’s a signal your rabbit is about to give birth. Leave the room for at least 30 minutes to allow your rabbit some space and time to rest. You can also notice your pet constantly licking its vulva.
Loss of appetite
More often than not, pregnant rabbits consume more food and put on weight. Your pregnant rabbit, however, will probably cease eating a few hours before giving birth. You shouldn’t worry about your bunny losing its appetite at this point because it’s normal.
Aggressive behavior
Your rabbit gets considerably more hostile as it gets closer to giving birth. The rabbit can snarl defensively or object to petting or handling. Don’t let the buck (male rabbit) approach it at this point. Although, the rabbit might act aggressively to fend off the buck.
My Rabbit Is Making A Nest; How Long Till She Gives Birth?
If your rabbit is nesting, probably, it will give birth within a week, and if it starts fur pulling, the kits will be born within the next day or two. Thus, be ready to awaken to a litter of rabbits because most rabbits give birth at night.
If you want to prevent your rabbit from giving birth in a burrow, ensure the rabbit has a suitable nest box and enough seclusion to be as comfortable as possible.
Around the 26th to 28th day of pregnancy, place a box lined with straw in its cage where the rabbit doesn’t typically urinate or defecate. If the rabbit does defecate in it, clean the box, swap out the straw, and set it somewhere else in the cage.
This nest is crucial to the survival of the kits since it will keep them warm and protect them from dying from exposure. Occasionally, the doe will start to prepare the space next to the box with hay, indicating that it will deliver the babies on the ground, which could be risky. So, place the box in the space the rabbit was setting up.
Note: Some rabbits have a false pregnancy, and they nest and have mood changes as if they are pregnant. False pregnancy symptoms typically last approximately two to three weeks.
What Happens When A Bunny Goes Into Labor?
Kindling is the name for a rabbit’s labor and delivery process. Although they can give birth at other times, rabbits typically do it at night or in the early morning. They must feel secure and know they won’t be interrupted or disturbed.
In rabbits, labor happens in stages. Inconspicuous uterine contractions and cervix dilation mainly characterize the first stage. The doe grows agitated and begins to lick its vulva. The female rabbit raises its rear legs to its chest and appears to start pawing at the ground. In the second stage of labor, the babies are delivered. In rabbits, the first and second stages of labor nearly coincide.
After all the kits have been delivered, the third stage of labor starts with expulsing the placenta and other postpartum debris. Before getting up to cater to its kits (babies), the rabbit rests and grooms itself for a few minutes during the last stage of labor. Soon after giving birth, the doe also starts eating and drinking.
Complications during labor
While a rabbit is giving birth, many things can go wrong. Although complications are not common, they do occur. Among the complications a doe may encounter are:
Dystocia: a birth blockage that prevents the baby from being born.
Prolapsed uterus occurs when the entire uterus leaves the vagina.
Uterine inertia: happens when the uterus is inactive and cannot adequately contract.
Misrepresentation: occurs when any of the kits are not lying head first in the womb.
These complications might prevent a doe from giving birth at due time. Thus, you should take your pregnant rabbit to the vet for an examination if it has been 30 days from breeding and hasn’t given birth. This is done to ascertain whether the pregnant doe is healthy, needs to have the babies surgically removed, or induced into labor.
There is a more substantial chance that the infants won’t survive the pregnancy if it lasts longer, especially after 34 days. Therefore, it is crucial to have the babies removed to avoid further infection and future infertility.
In addition, examine the rabbit’s housing and diet if a pregnancy loss happens to determine whether any adjustments are required. Pregnant rabbits can experience issues due to stress from overcrowding and poor nutrition.
How Long Is A Rabbit In Labor For?
The length of labor varies according to the number and size of the kits, the doe’s age and health, and other factors. Labor typically lasts between 15 minutes and 1 hour; however, this can vary from rabbit to rabbit and takes longer for first-time mothers.
In rabbits, the labor process doesn’t take very long. It is not unusual for a rabbit to give birth to a litter of kits in less than ten minutes. Rabbit kits come in fast succession, one after the other. There are typically 4 to 12 kits born from each pregnancy in a rabbit.
Furthermore, rabbits going into labor should feel secure and at ease. This facilitates a quick and easy childbirth process. Wait until the babies are born or your pet shows signs of distress before interfering with the mother when the rabbit is giving birth.
During this time, the best way to help your bunny is by not bothering your rabbit or the babies. Just give it space. However, if it takes the rabbit longer than an hour to birth all of it young, you should take the doe and the kits to the emergency clinic.
Conclusions
A pregnant bunny is in labor when it is restless, aggressive, loses appetite, and bleeds from and licks its swollen vulva. The rabbit also pulls out some of its furs to nest when labor is imminent.
It is advised to call a veterinarian if you are worried that your rabbit should be in labor but have not noticed any of the typical symptoms mentioned above. They can inspect your rabbit and establish whether or not the doe is pregnant.